A Study on the Usage Intention of Japanese Learning Mobile Applications

Abstract

Mobile applications change living habits and social style and provide an alternative learning channel for foreign languages. The use of applications overcomes limitations of time and space, thus enhancing the effectiveness of foreign language learning. In Taiwan, from the university students learning a foreign language, most part is learning English, followed by Japanese. Many scholars have conducted studies on issues related to English learning applications, but few have studied Japanese learning applications. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence learners to use Japanese learning applications. An online questionnaire survey was conducted from February 21 to March 2, 2021, in the Japanese language group of the Department of Applied Foreign Languages at a university in northern Taiwan. From the 127 valid forms collected, 40 respondents indicated they have not used Japanese learning applications. Thus, the remaining 87 answers were analyzed using the statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics 20. The results showed that among all variables, the mean score of “perceived ease of use” was the highest and that of “behavioral intention” was the lowest. Empirical analysis revealed that “perceived usefulness,” “facilitating conditions,” and “social influence” were the key factors that influenced the “behavioral intention” of learners. The findings can provide design guidelines for Japanese learning application developers and serve as a reference for educators to promote the use of Japanese learning applications.